Industry Standard w/ Barry Katz

RON FRIEDMAN is a prolific television writer and producer, and a professor of screenwriting for USC and Chapman University. A successful architect in Pittsburg with a wife and two kids, Ron left his job and moved to New York to pursue a career in writing. He began writing stand up acts and comedy albums in New York, before Dean Martin hired him as a writer for his show, prompting his move to Los A...

CHRIS THOMPSON is a film and television creator, writer, and producer. He began in entertainment as an improv actor, founding the still-operating Los Angeles improv troupe "Off The Wall", and performed on stage with Robin Williams for nearly a year. He began writing for television with "Blanksy's Beauties", before becoming a writer and eventually and executive producer for the hit series "Laverne...

SANDRA DEWEY is the President of TNT/TBS Productions and Business Operations. She oversees production and business affairs for TNT, TBS, TCM, truTV, and Cartoon Network Originals. She was the lead deal maker behind the agreement that brought Conan O'brien's late-night show to TBS, and arranged deals resulting in several hit TNT and TBS original series, including "The Closer", "Men of a Certain Age...

ILLIANA DOUGLAS is an award winning film and telelvision actress, writer, director, and producer. Beginning her career as a stand-up in New York, she was once asked to dub screams for "The Last Temptation of Christ", leading to a long collaboration with director Martin Scorsese, during which she appeared in several of his films including "Good Fellas" and Cape Fear". She has appeared in numerous t...

NEIL and MICHAEL MANDT are six-time emmy winning producers, and are partners in the premiere Los Angeles-based production company Mandt Bros. Productions.  They have produced over 1,500 hours of television shows for major networks, including the hit ESPN series "Jim Rome Is Burning".  In 2014 the Mandt Brothers were producers of the Walt Disney Pictures feature film "Million Dollar Arm", starring...

BILL GRUNDFEST is an award-winning writer and producer, who started his career as a stand-up comedian in New York City, where he founded the world famous Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village in 1982, showcasing then unknown comeidans like Jon Steward, Bill Maher, Rita Rudner, Dave Attell, and Ray Romano. He also performed on WNBC-AM66 hosting his own series and was the permanent substitute for Don I...

DON REO is a producer, television writer, and author, who is currently an executive producer on Two and a Half Men and the creator of "Blossom" and "The John Larroquette Show" for NBC, "My Wife and Kids" on ABC, and "Brothers" on FOX. He began his 40-year+ career writing for iconic comedians such as Slappy White, Red Fox and Jackie Gleason, and went on to write episodes for classic shows like M*A*...

JULIE TALBOTT is the president of premiere networks.  she started her career in advertising at the prestigeous bbdo firm, but her love of radio was overpowering as she MOVED ON TO SPEND 19 years As COO of MJI Broadcasting, growing the company from 5 people to more than 150.  after that, she has spent the LAST 16 YEARS at premiere and has been the driving force behind a plethora of talent deals inc...

KEN MOK is the president and founder of 10x10 entertainment (a production company that produces television, film and alternative media), best know as the creator and executive producer of the mega-hit “america’s next top model,” now in it’s 22nd cycle airing in more than 150 territories. Considered one of the godfather’s of reality tv, he launched one of the very first reality series to appear on...

DIONNE WARWICK is a five-time GRAMMY® Award winning music legend, who has become a cornerstone of American pop music and culture. Warwick’s career, which currently celebrates over 50 years, has established her as an internationalmusic icon and concert act. Over that time, she has earned 75 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records. She began singing professionally in 1961after being disc...

SCOTT ACKERSON is a 13-time Emmy Award-winning Executive Vice President of Studio Production at fox sports, overseeing the network’s news coverage. previously HE was the Coordinating Producer of “FOX NFL SUNDAY,” and was in charge of all studio programming for the networks and entities within FOX Sports since 2011. In 2012, Ackerson served as interim president of cable channel SPEED while still ov...

Best of Industry Standard 2014: Part (2 of 2) features the invaluable words of wisdom of 25 of the best guests on Industry Standard during the past year...including Russell Peters, Jay Mohr, Dr. Phil and 20 more!!! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Best of Industry Standard 2014: Part (1 of 2) features the invaluable words of wisdom of 25 of the best guests on Industry Standard during the past year...including Neal Brennan, Steve McPherson, Sandy Grushow, Marc Maron, Dr. Phil and 20 more!!! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

BYRON ALLEN is a multiple Emmy winning 35-year entertainment veteran, who began his career as a stand-up. At 14 years old, he got his first break when stand-up Jimmie Walker saw his stand-up act and was so impressed that he invited him to join his comedy writing team alongside promising young comedians Jay Leno and David Letterman. By the age of 18, Allen made his television debut on The Tonight S...

Cheri Oteri was born in Philadelphia and later moved to LA where she worked in promotions for A&M Records. She joined the Groundlings, and in 1995 the producers of “Saturday Night Live” saw one of her monologues, which led to an audition and eventually being hired as a cast member. She has also appeared in several films, including “Scary Movie,” “Inspector Gadget,” “Liar Liar,” “Dumb and Dumberer:...

MONTY HALL is best known as the host and creator of arguably the most successful game show of our generation—“Let’s Make a Deal,” which launched 50 years ago and is still going strong today with its new host, Wayne Brady.  He was a radio star in the 50’s and became a go-to host in the 60’s and future decades with a plethora of shows he created and others that he was aligned with like CBS’s “Video...

GREG FITZSIMMONS is a 4-TIME Emmy Award Winner who is the host of “The Greg Fitzsimmons Show” on Sirius-XM’s Howard 101 and twice a week puts out the hugely popular “FitzDog Radio” podcast.  A regular on “Letterman,” “Conan,” “Kimmel,” “Leno,” Greg has also made more than 50 visits to “The Howard Stern Show.”  As a writer, Greg worked several years on ”The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Lucky Louie,” and...

GENE BLYTHE was the executive vice president of casting at ABC Entertainment Television Group for over two decades. In his unprecedented tenure, he was known and universally respected for having served under 8 different studio presidents in almost 20 years at the network—with a career that is impressive for both its length and impact on the studio. Gene started in show business as theater actor, w...

SUSANNE DANIELS is presently the president of the MTV network. An award winning entertainment executive, Daniels has developed and produced some of the most memorable series on television. She started her career as Lorne Michaels’ assistant at “SNL” and was promoted to manager of development for Michaels’ Broadwayentertainment, where she helped develop the “the kids in the hall” comedy series and...

GAVIN POLONE began his career as an assistant at ICM IN 1985. after becoming an agent, he joined Bauer/Benedek which BECAME United Talent Agency, where gavin made partner at age 29.  in 1996 he BECAME A MANAGER/PRODUCER WHEN he partnered with Judy Hofflund to form Hofflund/Polone which led to being an executive producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” AND THE CW’s “Gilmore...

CAROL LEIFER is a four-time Emmy nominee for her writing on such shows as “Seinfeld,” “Modern Family,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” and seven “Academy Awards” telecasts. She has starred in five of her own comedy specials, which have aired on Showtime, HBO, and Comedy Central. Throughout her career she has worked very closely with several of the greatest comedy minds of our gene...

TRACY CHRISTIAN started her agency career at PSA, a bi-coastal boutique talent agency with a focus on classically trained character actors like William H. Macy & Joe Mantegna.  At PSA, she began to packaging features for music clients like Busta Rhymes, Nelly and Fat Joe, in addition to supporting the agency’s roster of actors. Christian then moved to Don Buchwald and Associates where she represen...

DAVID KISSINGER is the President of Conaco Productions, (Conan O'Brien’S PRODUCTION COMPANY) and has produced a plethora of shows for them "Andy Barker P.I.," "Outlaw" ON NBC, "Eagleheart" on Adult Swim, "Super Fun Night" for ABC, as well as "the Pete Holmes Show" and “Deon’s Black Box” for TBS.  Prior to joining Conaco, he was the President of NBC Universal Television/Studio USA where he develope...

TOM HERTZ is an Emmy Award winning writer and show runners, and one of the most respected executive producers in the entertainment business. He has worked with some of the most groundbreaking artists of our generation—making his mark with Jon Stewart (“The Jon Stewart Show”), Kevin James (“King of Queens”), Gary Shandling (The Larry Sanders Show), Dennis Miller (Dennis Miller Live),  Charlie Sheen...

DAN PASTERNACK is a veteran TV producer and high level creative executive who recently joined the prestigious independent production company big beach films (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Our Idiot Brother,” “Sunshine Cleaning”) to set up and head a new television division, Big Beach TV. Pasternack left his position as vice president of development and production for IFC after four and a half years to...